Systems and methods for private loan creation

ABSTRACT

Examples described herein relate to apparatuses and methods for facilitating automatic anonymous group funding, including but not limited to a provider computing system configured to establish a digital funding group, obtain a set of proposed transactions for at least one member of the digital funding group, and determine that a first user device from the plurality of user devices associated with the digital funding group is associated with a first customer unable to afford at least one proposed transaction. The provider computing system broadcasts a notification to the digital funding group requesting funds, matches funds provider(s) to the funds recipient, generates a funding transaction, provides the terms to the sender(s) and recipient of funds, modifies the terms as needed, and initiates a funds transfer. In some arrangements, a funds artificial intelligence (AI) circuit of the provider computing system is configured to browse the internet and/or mine affiliate/preferred vendor data to identify cost-effective alternatives to the proposed transaction and/or sponsorship opportunities for affiliates/preferred vendors.

BACKGROUND

Individuals may form lending groups to help one another afford variousexpenses. However, the lending arrangements formed through such groupsare labor-intensive, time consuming to negotiate in-person, anddifficult to track. Ad-hoc lending groups are difficult to form for aspecific purpose (e.g., a vacation, going to an event, etc.), especiallyon short notice. Many ad-hoc groups are formed off-line, and serviceproviders, vendors, etc. are unable to become aware of and capitalize onopportunities to offer targeted assistance, such as a platform forservicing an ad-hoc transaction or a service or product needed by thead-hoc group.

SUMMARY

In one arrangement, a method for method for facilitating automaticanonymous group funding includes establishing, by a provider computingsystem, a digital funding group, the digital funding group comprising aplurality of user devices, each user device is operated by a customerfrom a plurality of customers of a provider institution, and each of theplurality of user devices is configured to anonymize the customer byobscuring identity of the customer to other customers from the pluralityof customers, obtaining, by the provider computing system, a set ofproposed transactions, the set of proposed transactions comprising atleast one proposed transaction for the digital funding group,determining, by the provider computing system, that a first user devicefrom the plurality of user devices is associated with a first customerunable to afford the at least one proposed transaction, receiving, bythe provider computing system, from a second user device associated witha second customer from the plurality of customers, the second customerbeing different from the first customer, an indication of agreement toprovide assistance to the first customer, wherein the indication isprovided in response to a notification about the first customer'sinability to afford the at least one proposed transaction, thenotification generated by the provider computing system and provided toeach of the plurality of user devices, authorizing, by the providercomputing system, an assistance transaction based at least on theindication of acceptance, the assistance transaction comprisingtransaction terms and a transaction amount.

In one arrangement, a computing system configured to provide automatedanonymous loan creation services includes a processing circuit having aprocessor and a memory, wherein the processing circuit implements anArtificial Intelligence (AI) circuit configured to establish the digitalfunding group comprising a plurality of user devices, each user deviceis operated by a customer from a plurality of customers of a providerinstitution, and wherein each of the plurality of user devices isconfigured to anonymize the customer by obscuring identity of thecustomer to other customers from the plurality of customers, obtain aset of proposed transactions, the set of proposed transactionscomprising at least one proposed transaction for the digital fundinggroup, determine that a first user device from the plurality of userdevices is associated with a first customer unable to afford the atleast one proposed transaction, receive from a second user deviceassociated with a second customer from the plurality of customers, thesecond customer being different from the first customer, an indicationof agreement to provide assistance to the first customer, the indicationis provided in response to a notification about the first customer'sinability to afford the at least one proposed transaction, thenotification generated by the provider computing system and provided toeach of the plurality of user devices, authorize an assistancetransaction based at least on the indication of acceptance, theassistance transaction comprising transaction terms and a transactionamount.

In one arrangement, a non-transitory computer-readable medium havingprocessor-readable instructions stored thereon that, when executed by aprocessor, cause the processor to provide anonymous loan creationservices for a customer of a provider by establishing a digital fundinggroup, the digital funding group comprising a plurality of user devices,wherein each user device is operated by a customer from a plurality ofcustomers of a provider institution, and wherein each of the pluralityof user devices is configured to anonymize the customer by obscuringidentity of the customer to other customers from the plurality ofcustomers, obtaining a set of proposed transactions, the set of proposedtransactions comprising at least one proposed transaction for thedigital funding group, determining that a first user device from theplurality of user devices is associated with a first customer unable toafford the at least one proposed transaction, receiving from a seconduser device associated with a second customer from the plurality ofcustomers, the second customer being different from the first customer,an indication of agreement to provide assistance to the first customer,wherein the indication is provided in response to a notification aboutthe first customer's inability to afford the at least one proposedtransaction, the notification generated by the provider computing systemand provided to each of the plurality of user devices, authorizing anassistance transaction based at least on the indication of acceptance,the assistance transaction comprising transaction terms and atransaction amount.

These and other features, together with the organization and manner ofoperation thereof, will become apparent from the following detaileddescription when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a diagram of a system for facilitating automatic anonymousgroup funding according to some arrangements.

FIG. 2A is a diagram of a user device of the system shown in FIG. 1according to some arrangements.

FIG. 2B is a diagram of a provider computing system shown in FIG. 1according to some arrangements.

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram illustrating a method for facilitatingautomatic anonymous group funding according to some arrangements.

FIG. 4A-4B are interface display diagrams illustrating interactive userinterfaces for managing a new funding request according to somearrangements.

FIG. 5A-5B are interface display diagrams illustrating interactive userinterfaces for managing sponsorship opportunities according to somearrangements.

FIG. 6A-6B are interface display diagrams illustrating interactive userinterfaces for managing funding approval according to some arrangements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Arrangements described herein relate to systems, apparatuses, andmethods for implementing automatic digital anonymous group funding. A“funding transaction” (also known as “financial aid transaction”,“assistance”, and/or “assistance transaction”) is defined as a gift,discount, loan, reward, etc. given by one member of a digital fundinggroup to another member.

Various arrangements described herein enable a customer to opt into aservice through which the customer may receive relief from her peers inthe event that the customer is unable to afford an electronic or digitaltransaction. The system includes a platform through which people can setup digital funding groups for certain events. For example, friends goingon a trip may set up a digital funding group for the trip, listing allof the attendees of the trip and various expenses (e.g., airfare,lodging) for the trip. The expenses may be incurred via electronic ordigital transactions. Once the expenses are set up or otherwisedetermined, members of the group may indicate whether they have enoughfunds set aside to afford the various expenses to be incurred viaelectronic or digital transactions. Such determination may be madeautomatically based on user financial information stored in a providercomputing system. If it is determined that a member of the group isunable to afford the expenses, the other members of the group arenotified and provided the opportunity to assist the customer. If thecustomer (e.g., the recipient of financial assistance) indicates such apreference, a certain subset of the customer's financial information maybe displayed on the notifications (e.g., account balance, credit, etc.).In some arrangements, the notifications also enable members of the groupto pay for the distressed member's trip (e.g., via a P2P loan or thelike).

As will be appreciated, a provider computing system is configured toestablish a digital funding group, obtain a set of proposed digitaltransactions for at least one member of the digital funding group, anddetermine that a first user device from the plurality of user devicesassociated with the digital funding group is associated with a firstcustomer unable to afford at least one proposed transaction. Theprovider computing system broadcasts a notification to the digitalfunding group requesting funds, matches funds provider(s) to the fundsrecipient, generates a funding transaction, provides the terms to thesender(s) and recipient of funds, modifies the terms as needed, andinitiates a funds transfer. In some arrangements, the funds transfer maybe automatic. In some arrangements, a funds artificial intelligence (AI)circuit of the provider computing system is configured to browse theinternet and/or mine affiliate/preferred vendor data to identifycost-effective alternatives to the proposed transaction and/orsponsorship opportunities for affiliates/preferred vendors.

Advantageously, the arrangements described herein implement automatic,anonymous digital funding groups. Herein, “automatic” is defined aspertaining to an electronically carried out action that does not requireoutside (either human or machine) intervention to be scheduled,triggered, executed, and/or completed. “Anonymous” (e.g., “private”,“anonymized”) is defined as access-controlled or secured (with respectto digitized information about the members of a funding group and/orabout their electronic devices) such that (a) the identities of themembers are not revealed to anyone outside the group; and/or (b) theparties requesting funding, providing funding, or both can remainanonymous to everyone else, including the counterparties tofunding/financial aid transactions. Traditional, non-digitized loancreation processes cannot provide such automation and anonymity.

Advantageously, the arrangements described herein improvecomputer-related technology by automating certain steps that cannot beperformed by human actors in lending groups without significant effortand time spent. For example, the funds artificial intelligence (AI)circuit is structured to analyze historical financial transactions toidentify spending pattern(s) of the customer and use the spendingpattern(s) to predict, in an accurate, realistic and timely manner, aneed for financial aid. In some arrangements, the funds AI circuit 246is structured to evaluate the financial position of the customer (suchas spending history, account balance, credit score, and the like) todetermine risk information for the customer. In some arrangements, thefunds AI circuit is structured to comprise a bot that crawls theinternet and/or affiliate data sources to find alternative suppliers,rates, terms, etc. for the proposed funding transaction. In somearrangements, the funds AI circuit is structured to obtain the locationof the customer (recipient of funds) through the geolocation sensor ofthe mobile device to identify local suppliers likely to service thetransaction and/or likely to provide financial aid in the form ofdiscounts. The information is presented to the customer through a userinterface of a mobile user device, such as a smartphone.

Advantageously, the loan creation process as described herein displays alimited set of information to a user, by displaying selected, relevantinformation onto one interface to minimize scrolling. The providedrelevant information is relevant in the context of anonymous loancreation, making this process very simple and expedited. The user doesnot need to browse the internet (and thus click on multiple links, inputthe details of the proposed transaction into search boxes, browsedifferent websites, etc.) to search for options because the providercomputing system may present already vetted options through anaggregated list, which is a limited set of relevant options presented tothrough a streamlined interface, by browsing the internet or apre-defined list of preferred vendors for the digital funding group.Thus, advantageously, the arrangement saves the users time and effort,the speed of navigation is improved and only a few steps are needed fromreceiving a notification to completing a digitized, automatic financialaid transaction. Further, in some embodiments, the speed of navigationis further improved because the notification is a “light” notificationsuch that the user does not need to log in to use the functionality ofthe system. Additionally, and advantageously, by using a pre-definedlist of preferred vendors for the digital funding group presented to theuser through the user interface of the mobile user device, theorganizer/owner of the digital funding group and its affiliates benefitfrom cross-selling opportunities by presenting the relevant options totheir customers.

FIG. 1 is a diagram of a system 100 for facilitating automatic anonymousgroup funding according to some arrangements. In brief overview, system100 includes one or more individual user device(s) 102 n (such as 102 a,102 b, and 102 c as shown) used by one or more customer(s) 101 n (suchas 101 a, 101 b, and 101 c as shown) to interact with the providercomputing system 140 and/or the social network 120.

The individual computing device(s) 102 n, according to variousarrangements, may comprise smartphones, laptop computers, tabletcomputers, e-readers, wearable devices (such as a smart watch, a smartbracelet, and the like), and other suitable device(s). A customer 101 nis a customer or potential customer of a provider institution 130. Theplurality of user devices 102 n of customer(s) 101 n comprise thedigital funding group 110. The digital funding group 110 is amembership-only, private entity that is managed electronically by theprovider computing system 140 as described further herein.

The customer 101 n can be any entity (e.g., an individual, a company, orthe like). In some examples, the provider institution 130 is a financialinstitution. In some arrangements, the customer 101 n is a customer orpotential customer of one or more other provider institutions (notshown).

All or some customer(s) 101 n may have funds accounts with the providerinstitution 130. The provider institution 130 includes one or more of abank branch, loan office, mortgage office, services office, retailoffice, automated teller machine (ATM) location, a combination thereof,and/or the like. The provider institution 130 manages and/or operatesthe provider computing system 140. In some examples, the providerinstitution computing system 140 is a financial institution computingsystem. The provider institution 130 provides products and services suchas, but not limited to, credit card accounts, mobile wallet,checking/saving accounts, retirement accounts, mortgage accounts, loanaccounts, investment and accounts, and the like to the customer(s) 101 nvia the provider computing system 140. While the provider institution130 is depicted as a brick and mortar location in FIG. 1, one ofordinary skill in the art can appreciate that one or more of theprovider institutions 130 may not be associated with brick and mortarlocations.

The individual computing device(s) 102 n and the provider computingsystem 140 are connected to the network 111. The network 111 is anysuitable Local Area Network (LAN) or Wide Area Network (WAN). Forexample, the network 111 can be supported by Frequency Division MultipleAccess (FDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Code DivisionMultiple Access (CDMA) (particularly, Evolution-Data Optimized (EVDO)),Universal Mobile Telecommunications Systems (UMTS) (particularly, TimeDivision Synchronous CDMA (TD-SCDMA or TDS), Wideband Code DivisionMultiple Access (WCDMA), Long Term Evolution (LTE), evolved MultimediaBroadcast Multicast Services (eMBMS), High-Speed Downlink Packet Access(HSDPA), and the like), Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA),Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Code Division MultipleAccess 1× Radio Transmission Technology (1×), General Packet RadioService (GPRS), Personal Communications Service (PCS), 802.11X, ZigBee,Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, any suitable wired network, combinations thereof,and/or the like. The network 111 is structured to permit the exchange ofdata, values, instructions, messages, and the like among the userdevice(s) 102 n and the provider institution 130.

In some arrangements, also connected to the network 111 is a socialnetworking platform (social network) 120. In some arrangements, thesocial networking platform 120 is an electronic social networking site,social media, or another suitable environment that allows a plurality ofindividuals to build social network(s) based on, for example,activities, backgrounds, shared interests, geographic proximity,real-life personal and/or business connections, and/or other factors.The users of the social networking platform may include customer 101 n.In an example arrangement, customer 101 a may be connected to customer101 b via the social network(s) 120. In some arrangements, the data froma data vault associated with the social network(s) 120 is accessedand/or received by the provider computing system 140 to identify,create, modify, and manage the digital funding group 110, as describedfurther herein.

FIGS. 2A-2B show the user device 102 n and the provider computing system140 of an example arrangement.

According to various arrangements, the provider computing system 140and/or each of the plurality of user device(s) 102 n may include atleast one electronic circuit and at least one data storage entity. Oneor more electronic circuit(s) may be implemented as software codesuitable for compilation, object code, executable file(s) and/or code, aset of machine language instructions, and/or in another suitable formfor carrying out the computer-implemented method(s) described herein. Insome arrangements, the one or more electronic circuit(s) may beimplemented in a distributed fashion such that at least some of the codeis executed and/or compiled on the individual computing device(s) 102 n.One or more data storage entities of the provider computing system 140may be implemented as an electronic structure(s) suitable for storinginformation, including, for example, one or more persistent electronicstructures, such as one or more database(s), electronic file(s), datamart(s), distributed ledger(s) and the like. The data stored in the oneor more data storage entities of the provider computing system 140 maybe stored in a multidimensional form such that the structure of the datastorage entity has two dimensions (e.g., a look-up table having indexeddata) or more (e.g., a relational database, a multi-dimensionaldatabase, an online analytical processing (OLAP) cube, etc.).

FIG. 2A is a diagram of a user device 102 n of the system shown in FIG.1 according to some arrangements. The user device 102 n comprises aprocessing circuit 202, a network interface 208, an input circuit 210,an output circuit 212, a geolocation sensor 214, and a funding clientapplication 234, which may comprise an enrollment circuit 226 and afunding transaction management circuit 228.

The processing circuit 202 is composed of a processor 204 and a memorydevice 206. The processor 204 can be implemented with a general-purposeprocessor, an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), one ormore Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), a Digital Signal Processor(DSP), a group of processing components, or other suitable electronicprocessing components. The memory 206 can be implemented with a RandomAccess Memory (RAM), Read-Only Memory (ROM), Non-volatile RAM (NVRAM),Flash Memory, hard disk storage, cloud storage, and other suitableelectronic storage devices. The memory 206 stores data and/or computercode for facilitating at least some of the various processes describedherein. The memory 206 includes tangible, non-transient volatile memory,or non-volatile memory. The memory 206 stores programming logic that,when executed by the processor 204, controls the operations of the userdevice 102 n. In some arrangements, the user device 102 n and the memory206 form various processing circuits of the user device 102 n.

In some embodiments, the funding client application 234 is amultithreaded application configured to prioritize processing tasks andperform certain tasks (e.g., long-running processes, such as webqueries, saving data, downloading data, coordination of fundingopportunities, coordination of digital contracts, etc.) in backgroundmode. For example, in some embodiments, such as those discussed withrespect to FIGS. 5A and 5B, the funding client application 234 isconfigured to crawl the web to collect data from potential financialassistance providers (e.g., sponsors) and/or to automatically rank ofvarious options. In some embodiments, these processes are configured tobe executed in the background so that a new notification, when itarrives, is immediately displayed to the user (for example, as a pop-upnotification) without waiting for the previous task to complete. In someembodiments, the funding client application 234 is configured toautomatically maintain the user device 102 n in active mode and/or toperiodically wake up the user device 102 n such that the user device 102n remains active until the until the long-running process is completed.Advantageously, interruption or timing out of the long-running processis avoided. In an example embodiment, to maintain the user device 102 nis active mode, one or more circuits of the funding client application234 is/are configured to monitor a system idle timer and reset it atpredefined intervals (e.g., every 1 sec., every 5 sec., every 15 sec.,every 30 sec.) to prevent the user device 102 n from going into sleepmode and/or powering off.

As shown, the user device 102 n includes a network interface 208. Thenetwork interface 208 is structured for sending and receiving data overthe network 111. Accordingly, the network interface 208 includes any ofa cellular transceiver (for cellular standards), local wireless networktransceiver (for 802.11X, ZigBee, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, or the like), wirednetwork interface, a combination thereof (e.g., both a cellulartransceiver and a Bluetooth transceiver), and/or the like.

The input circuit 210 is configured to receive user input the customer101 n. The output circuit 212 is configured to output information in theform of graphics, sound, tactile feedback (e.g., vibrations), and thelike. In this regard, the input circuit 210 and the output circuit 212are structured to exchange data, communications, instructions, etc. withan input/output component of the user device 102 n. Accordingly, in somearrangements, the input circuit 210 and the output circuit 212 can becombined into an input/output circuit that includes or is coupled to aninput/output device such as but not limited to, a display device,touchscreen, keyboard, microphone, and/or the like. In somearrangements, the input/output circuit includes communication circuitryfor facilitating the exchange of data, values, messages, and the likebetween the input/output device and the components of the user device102 n. In some arrangements, the input circuit 210 and the outputcircuit 212 include machine-readable media for facilitating the exchangeof information between the input/output device and the components of theuser device 102 n. In still another arrangement, the input circuit 210and the output circuit 212 include any combination of hardwarecomponents (e.g., a touchscreen), communication circuitry, andmachine-readable media.

The geolocation sensor 214 is structured to determine and providecurrent positional information, such as coordinates, of the device 102n. The geolocation sensor 214 comprises a receiver chip, which is anelectronic circuit that may contain instructions thereon for issuing andreceiving communication signals through the network 111. The receiverchip may be configured to receive global positioning system (GPS)signals, cellular tower signals, satellite network signals, etc. todetermine the coordinates of the device 102 n.

The funding client application 224 is associated with and/or connectedto the provider computing system 140 and installed on, or otherwiseprovided to (for example, using the software-as-a-service deliverymodel), the individual computing device(s) 102 n. The enrollment circuit226 of the funding client application 224 is structured to allow thecustomer 101 n to join the digital funding group 110, interact withother members of the digital funding group 110, etc. The fundingtransaction management circuit 228 is structured to allow the customer101 n to receive new funding request notifications, review and updatefunding details, submit funding requests, receive sponsorshipopportunity notifications, review and update sponsorship details, rankpreferred suppliers for proposed funding transactions, receive andaccept proposed funding notifications, and update funding details.

In some arrangements, the funding client application 224 may comprise,be part of, and/or be configured to interact with (for example, throughan application programming interface (API)) with one or more circuits ofthe provider computing system 140, which are described further herein.

FIG. 2B is a diagram of a provider computing system 140 shown in FIG. 1according to some arrangements. Electronic circuits of the providercomputing system 140 include the processing circuit 232, the networkinterface 238, the notification circuit 242, the digital funding circuit244, and the funds artificial intelligence (AI) circuit 246. The datastorage entities of the provider computing system 140 include theproposed transaction vault 252 and the customer account vault 254. Thesecircuits and/or data storage entities may be combined as needed suchthat one or more data storage entities and/or circuit(s) are implementedin a hybrid form. An example of a hybrid implementation is a datastorage entity having a shell and/or providing an API such that alibrary of code (for example, executable functions containing DataManipulation Language (DML) instructions) may be used by entities withinor outside the system 100. In some arrangements, some API functions aredeployed to, compiled, and/or executed on or by the user device 102 n.

The processing circuit 232 is composed of a processor 234 and a memorydevice 236. The processor 234 can be implemented with a general-purposeprocessor, an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), one ormore Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), a Digital Signal Processor(DSP), a group of processing components, or other suitable electronicprocessing components. The memory 236 can be implemented with a RandomAccess Memory (RAM), Read-Only Memory (ROM), Non-volatile RAM (NVRAM),Flash Memory, hard disk storage, cloud storage, and other suitableelectronic storage devices. The memory 236 stores data and/or computercode for facilitating at least some of the various processes describedherein. The memory 236 includes tangible, non-transient volatile memory,or non-volatile memory. The memory 236 stores programming logic that,when executed by the processor 234, controls the operations of theprovider computing system 140. In some arrangements, the memory 206 ispart of various processing circuits of the provider computing system140.

As shown, the provider computing system 140 includes a network interface238. The network interface 238 is structured for sending and receivingdata over the network 111. Accordingly, the network interface 238includes any of a cellular transceiver (for cellular standards), localwireless network transceiver (for 802.11X, ZigBee, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, orthe like), wired network interface, a combination thereof (e.g., both acellular transceiver and a Bluetooth transceiver), and/or the like.

According to various arrangements, the notification circuit 242 isstructured to generate and issue notifications to members of the fundinggroup 110, create an alias for the customer 101 n who needs funding andinclude the alias in the notification, receive an indication ofagreement to provide financial assistance from a second user device 102b of the second customer 101 b, provide a message that includes afunding notification to the user device 102 a of the customer 101 a(recipient of funds), and/or present to the members of the digitalfunding group 110 an interface (such as a digital form) allowing theusers to rank the various sponsor options.

According to various arrangements, the digital funding circuit 242 isstructured to obtain, generate or predict a proposed transaction set 262in the proposed transaction vault 252. The proposed transaction set 262includes one or more proposed transactions, which represent a requestfor funding (financial aid) for a customer 101 n who is a member of thedigital funding group 110. In some arrangements, the digital fundingcircuit 244 is structured to identify a purchase contemplated by thecustomer 101 a and to generate the at least one proposed transaction 272representing this purchase. In some arrangements, the digital fundingcircuit 244 is structured to access the customer account vault 254 andretrieve one or more customer funds account(s) 264 associated with thecustomer 101 a to obtain a data set on historical financial transactionsused to determine a need for financial aid. In some arrangements, thedigital funding circuit 244 uses information on parameters pre-definedby the second customer 101 b for automatic approval of funding requeststo which user 101 b agrees if they meet certain thresholds, as describedfurther herein. The digital funding circuit 244 generates a fundingtransaction 274. In some arrangements, the digital funding circuit 244obtains or provides sponsor ranking information to fund the proposedtransaction 272. The digital funding circuit 244 may be structured tonotify the local business of the sponsorship opportunity. In somearrangements, the digital funding circuit 244 initiates an electronicfunds transfer from a funds account of the customer 101 b (the sender)to a funds account of the customer 101 a (the recipient).

According to various arrangements, the funds AI circuit 246 isstructured to capture, track, and/or otherwise access the internetbrowsing history, email history, telephone call history, SMS/textmessage history, and/or the geolocation history of the customer 101 a tosuggest a proposed funding transaction 272 to the customer 101 a. Insome arrangements, the funds AI circuit 246 is structured to analyze thehistorical financial transactions to identify spending pattern(s) of thecustomer 101 a and use the spending pattern(s) to predict the at leastone proposed transaction 272. In some arrangements, the funds AI circuit246 is structured to evaluate the financial position of the customer 101n (such as spending history, account balance, credit score, and thelike) to determine risk information for the customer 101 n. In somearrangements, the funds AI circuit 246 is structured to comprise a botthat crawls the internet and/or queries data sources of the providerinstitution's affiliates connected to the provider computing system 140through, for example, an API, to find alternative suppliers, rates,terms, etc. for the proposed transaction 272, add sponsors to thedigital funding group 110, etc. In some arrangements, the funds AIcircuit 246 is structured to obtains the location of the customer 101 a(recipient of funds) through the geolocation sensor 214 of the mobiledevice 101 a. Based on the geolocation information, the funds AI circuit246 may be configured to identify local merchants or other serviceproviders to sponsor the customer 101 a.

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram illustrating a method for facilitatingautomatic anonymous group funding according to some arrangements.

At 302, the digital funding circuit 244 of the provider computing system140 associated with the provider institution 130 establishes a digitalfunding group 110. The digital funding group 110 comprises at least twocustomers 101 n and a plurality of user devices 102 n, such as userdevices 102 a, 102 b, and 102 c of FIG. 1. As shown in the examplearrangement, each of the user devices 102 a, 102 b, and 102 c isrespectively associated with and operated by the customer 101 a, 101 b,and 101 c. In some arrangements, each of the customers 101 a, 101 b, and101 c are customers of the provider institution 130. In somearrangements, some or all of the customers 101 a, 101 b, and 101 c havea user account on one or more social network(s) 120.

At 304, the digital funding circuit 244 obtains, generates or predicts aproposed transaction set 262. The proposed transaction set 262 has atleast one proposed transaction 272. Herein, a “proposed transaction” isdefined as an assistance transaction between one or more customers 101n. For example, in an example arrangement, customer 101 a may requirefunding to cover an expected purchase or expense. Customer 101 b and/orcustomer 101 c may provide the funding to customer 101 a.

In some arrangements, the customer 101 a supplies the information on theat least one proposed transaction 272 by, for example, using a userinterface of the user device 102 a to enter the information, including,for example, transaction description, transaction date, transactionamount, payee, etc. In some arrangements, the customer 101 a uses theuser interface of the user device 102 a to indicate an interest inpurchasing a product and/or a service, which may be provided by a thirdparty. For example, provider computing system 140 and/or the user device102 a (for example, the browser software installed on or deployed to theuser device 102 a) may be configured to capture, track, and/or otherwiseaccess the internet browsing history, email history, telephone callhistory, SMS/text message history, and/or the geolocation history of thecustomer 101 a. This information may be used by the digital fundingcircuit 244 to identify a purchase contemplated by the customer 101 aand to generate the at least one proposed transaction 272 representingthis purchase. For instance, if the customer 101 a visits a cardealership, this information may be captured by a geolocation sensor 214of the mobile device 101 a. If the customer 101 a has also and/oralternatively browsed automotive websites to research a particularvehicle make and model, the digital funding circuit 244 may evaluatethis information and conclude that the customer 101 a is likely topurchase a car. The digital funding circuit 244 may generate a proposedtransaction 272 for the car purchase. The proposed transaction 272 maybe presented to the customer 101 a for approval through the userinterface of the user device 102 a.

At 306, the digital funding circuit 244 determines that a first userdevice, such as user device 102 a, is associated with a user, such ascustomer 101 a who is unable to afford the proposed transaction 272. Insome arrangements, the digital funding circuit 244 accesses the customeraccount vault 254 and retrieves one or more customer funds account(s)264 associated with the customer 101 a to obtain a data set onhistorical financial transactions, such as payments to a third party.The funds AI circuit 246 may analyze the historical financialtransactions to identify spending pattern(s) of the customer 101 a anduse the spending pattern(s) to predict the at least one proposedtransaction 272. In some arrangements, the digital funding circuit 244identifies a recurring expense from the customer funds account 264, suchas, for example, a rent payment, a car loan installment payment, amortgage payment, etc. The digital funding circuit 244 analyzes thecurrent and/or projected balance of the customer funds account 264 andmay determine, based on this evaluation, that the customer 101 a willnot be able to cover the proposed transaction in its entirety. Forexample, the customer 101 a may be faced with a payment due of $1,500and may have only $1,000 in the customer funds account 264. Thedifference ($500) is the amount of a new proposed transaction 272created by the provider computing system 140. In some arrangements, theexpense is a joint expense of at least two customers 101 a and 101 b.The digital funding circuit 244 may be configured to access a firstcustomer funds account 264 of the customer 101 a and a second customerfunds account 264 of the customer 101 b to determine whether a combinedbalance of these accounts is sufficient to cover the joint expense,percentage allocation of the joint expense between the customer 101 aand 101 b, etc. Based on this information, the digital funding circuit244 may be configured to calculate the amount of the proposedtransaction 272, determine the recipient of the financial aid for theproposed transaction 272, such as customer 101 a if customer 101 a isnot able to cover his or her share of the joint expense, determine theintended funding party, such as customer 101 b if customer 101 a is notable to cover the expense, etc. In some arrangements, the digitalfunding circuit 244 is structured to access a data source that includesbudget information for the customer 101 a (such as anticipated expensedata, description, amount, payee, etc.) and determine whether the amountof the proposed transaction 272 exceeds the budget.

At 308, the notification circuit 242 generates and issues a notificationto members of the funding group 110. The notification informs themembers that a customer needs funding. The notification is broadcast orotherwise digitally transmitted to each of the user devices 102 n as anemail, SMS/text message, telephone call, a pop-up, a link to a web pageopened through a web browser on each of the user devices 102 n, etc. Insome arrangements, the identity of the customer 101 n that needsassistance is masked and/or the customer 101 n needing assistance isanonymized. According to various arrangements, this can be accomplishedby, for example, providing an electronic address (such as an IP address)of the customer 101 n instead of the identifying information of thecustomer 101 n (such as account id, name, phone number, email address,etc.) in the notification. In some arrangements, the notificationcircuit 242 creates an alias for the customer 101 n who needs fundingand includes the alias in the notification. A mapping data structurelinking the alias to the identifying information of the customer 101 nmay be maintained on or by the provider computing system 140. In somearrangements, the notification includes risk information associated withthe customer 101 n needing funding, such as a credit score, accountbalance, payment history, etc. In some arrangements, the riskinformation is determined based on an evaluation of the financialposition of the customer 101 n by the funds AI circuit 246.

At 310, the notification circuit 242 receives an indication of agreementto provide assistance from a second user device 102 b of the secondcustomer 101 b. The second customer 101 b may provide the indication ofagreement through a user interface of the user device 102 by clicking ona link, a button, sending an SMS/text message to a specified address,etc. In some arrangements, the digital funding circuit 244 storesinformation on parameters pre-defined by the second customer 101 b forautomatic approval of funding requests, such as requests from a specificcustomer 101 a (when identity of the customer 101 a is not masked oranonymized), threshold for a credit score of the customer 101 a, and/orthe threshold amount, payee, etc. of the proposed transaction 272. Theinformation on pre-defined parameters may be used by the digital fundingcircuit 244 to skip the approval process such that an indication ofagreement to provide assistance from a second user device 102 b of thesecond customer 101 b is not needed when the proposed transaction 272meets the pre-defined parameters.

At 312, the digital funding circuit 244 generates a funding transaction274. According to various arrangements, the funding transaction 274 maycomprise transaction terms (such transaction description, transactiondate, transaction amount, payee) and a transaction amount. In somearrangements, the transaction terms include all or some of theinformation entered by the customer 101 a at 304. In some arrangements,the funding transaction 274 is a donation, gift, discount, reward, andthe like. In some arrangements, the funding transaction 274 is a loanand the terms further include repayment terms of the loan, such as arepayment period, repayment frequency, interest rate, installmentpayment amount, prepayment penalty and/or discount information, etc. Thefunding transaction 274 also includes the sender (for example, customer101 b) and the recipient (for example, customer 101 a) of assistance.The funding transaction 274 is saved in the customer account vault 274such that a new record or entry is created. In some arrangements wherethe provider institution 130 manages the sender's funds account, thefunding transaction 274 is associated with the customer funds account264 of the sender. In other arrangements, the sender may hold funds at afinancial institution different from the provider institution 130. Insuch arrangements, the customer account vault 254 on the providercomputing system 140 includes a reference to the sender's account (suchas account number) and login credentials (such as a PIN number, apassword, biometric information, etc.). In some arrangements, the logincredentials and/or the sender's account number are tokenized to enhancedata security.

At 314, the notification circuit 242 provides a message that includes afunding notification to the user device 102 a of the customer 101 a(recipient of funds). An example notification may be delivered to thecustomer 101 a through a user interface of the user device 102 a asdescribed, for example, in reference to FIG. 6A. In some arrangements,the funding details, such as the amount and the terms of the fundingtransaction 274, are rendered to the customer 101 a through the userinterface of the user device 102 a as shown, for example, in FIG. 6B.

At 316, the notification circuit 242 provides a message that includes afunding notification to the user device 102 b of the customer 101 b(sender of funds). An example notification may be delivered to thecustomer 101 ba through a user interface of the user device 102 b asshown in FIG. 6A. In some arrangements, the recipient of the fundingnotification may be provided with a user interface for editing the termsof the funding transaction 274 before the funding transaction 274 isfinalized prior to authorization.

At 318, the digital funding circuit 244 obtains supplier information forthe proposed transaction 272 and/or funding transaction 274. Somearrangements include identifying, by the digital funding circuit 244, aplurality of purchase options for the funding transaction 274. Theproposed transaction 272 and/or funding transaction 274 is ranked by atleast one customer 101 n in the digital funding group 110 (as shown, forexample, in FIG. 4B) such that the ranking determines the transactionamount of the assistance transaction. For example, the customer needingassistance (customer 101 a) may have found airline tickets to aparticular destination at a price of $575 and may request assistance tofund this purchase in full or in part. The funds AI circuit 246 maycomprise a bot that crawls the internet and/or queries data sourcesconnected to the provider computing system 140 through, for example, anAPI, to find an alternative supplier who offers a lower price of $550.The notification circuit 242 may be configured to present to the membersof the digital funding group 110 through an interface (such as a digitalform), allowing the users to rank the various options. In somearrangements, the digital funding circuit 244 is configured to rank thevarious options on factors other than price, such as, for example,preferred supplier status, availability of rewards and/or discounts forcomplementary products and/or services through parties affiliated withthe supplier, etc. The digital funding circuit 244 is configured toconvert the information associated with the highest-ranked option to theterms of the funding transaction 274.

At 320, the funds AI circuit 246 links a supplier/sponsor to the fundingtransaction 274 and adds the supplier/sponsor as a member of the digitalfunding group 110. As defined herein, a “supplier” (also known as“sponsor”, “prospective sponsor”, “vendor”, “website-based seller”,etc.) is a business entity that provides a product or service ofinterest to a customer of the digital funding group 110 and who may beinterested in providing financial aid to fund the proposed transaction272 and/or funding transaction 274 in whole or in part. In somearrangements, the supplier/sponsor is the vendor associated with thehighest-ranking option identified at 318. In some arrangements, theranking step is bypassed. In some arrangements, the funds AI circuit 246comprises a bot that crawls the interne and/or queries data sourcesconnected to the provider computing system 140 through, for example, anAPI, to identify the supplier/sponsor. For example, in somearrangements, the funds AI circuit 246 obtains the location of thecustomer 101 a (recipient of funds) through the geolocation sensor 214of the mobile device 101 a. Based on the geolocation information, thefunds AI circuit 246 may be configured to identify local merchants orother service providers to sponsor the customer 101 a. For example, agas station may be willing to sponsor the gas customer 101 a needs totake a road trip. As another example, a local business may be willing tosponsor uniforms for a local sports team for which customer 101 a needsfunding. The digital funding circuit 244 may be structured to notify thelocal business of the sponsorship opportunity as shown, for example, inFIGS. 5A-5B and/or as described with respect to step 308.

At 322, the digital funding circuit 244 generates a second fundingtransaction 274. In some arrangements, the funds AI circuit 246calculates the proposed funding amount for the sponsor/supplier based onthe financial position of the customer 101 a (budget, account balance,etc.) and/or based on a calculation of whether a shortfall remains afteran existing member of the digital funding group 110 has already agreedto provide assistance to cover a portion of the amount of the proposedtransaction 274. Thus, the proposed transaction 272 may be associatedwith multiple funding transactions 274 by different parties, each havingagreed to cover the amount of the proposed transaction 272 in part.According to various arrangements, the second funding transaction 274may comprise transaction terms (such transaction description,transaction date, transaction amount, payee) and a transaction amount.In some arrangements, the provider computing system 140 obtains approvalfor the second funding transaction 274 through a process similar to thatdescribed at 306-310.

At 324, the digital funding circuit 244 initiates an electronic fundstransfer from a funds account of the customer 101 b (the sender) to afunds account of the customer 101 a (the recipient). The funds may betransferred using a suitable payment network and/or protocol, such asautomated clearing house (ACH), PayPal™, Google Pay™, BitPay™, Wirex™,etc. In some arrangements, the funds account of the customer 101 aand/or customer 101 b is the customer funds account 264. In somearrangements, where the funds account of the customer 101 b (the sender)is the customer funds account 264, the funding transaction 274 comprisesa flag that is set to “completed” once the transaction occurs.

FIG. 4A-6B are interface display diagrams illustrating interactive userinterfaces. The user interfaces described herein are provided to each orsome of the plurality of customers 101 n of the digital funding group110 through each of their respective user devices 102 n. In somearrangements, the user interface is a graphical user interface (GUI)visually presented to the user(s) 101 n through the user device(s) 102n. In other arrangements, the user interface may comprise aural,auditory, tactile, kinesthetic and/or haptic system(s) and/orcomponent(s) for notifying and interacting with the user(s) 101 n. Theuser interfaces comprise various controls for providing information andreceiving input from the customer 101 n. For example, the individualcomputing device(s) 102 n may buzz, vibrate, trigger an LED lightindicator, and/or otherwise alert the user(s) 101 n to the alert(s)and/or notification(s) received by the user device 102 n.

FIG. 4A-4B are interface display diagrams illustrating interactive userinterfaces for managing a new funding request according to somearrangements.

Referring to FIG. 4A, the user interface 400 a is configured to presenta new funding request notification to each or some of the plurality ofcustomers 101 n of the digital funding group 110. The interface 400 acomprises various controls for providing information and receiving inputfrom the customer 101 n. For example, a text field on the user interface400 a may be configured to render a notification generated at 308. Inthe example the notification may let a customer 101 b know that customer101 a needs help funding airfare and that a first website-based sellerquoted a price of $575. The customer 101 b may use interactive controls402 a and 402 b to accept or decline the notification.

Referring to FIG. 4B, if the customer 101 b accepts the notificationusing the interactive control 402 a, then the customer 101 b is providedwith a user interface 400 b, which is configured to allow the customer101 b to customize funding details. The input text fields 412 and 414solicit information and amounts for the type of assistance that customer101 b would like to render. In the example arrangement, the options area gift (at 412) and a loan (414). For example, the customer 101 b maychoose to fund all or some of the proposed transaction 272 as a gift, aloan, or a combination thereof. In the event different types ofassistance are used, the digital funding circuit is configured to createa separate funding transaction 274 for each type of assistance.

In some arrangements, the financial assistance transaction is anonymous.For example, the identity of the recipient (here, customer 101 a) may beobscured from the provider of financial assistance (here, customer 101b). Additionally or alternatively, the identity of the provider offinancial assistance may be obscured from the recipient. This may beaccomplished, according to various embodiments, by creating aliases forthe customer 101 a and 101 b. A mapping data structure linking the aliasto the identifying information of the customer 101 n may be maintainedon or by the provider computing system 140. In some arrangements, thealias assigned to customer 101 a is associated with anonymized riskassessment information about customer 101 a that is provided to thecustomer 101 b, such as a credit score, account balance, paymenthistory, etc. In this fashion, the customer 101 b is presented withrelevant risk assessment information so that customer 101 b may decidewhether to provide financial assistance to customer 101 a withoutknowing the identity of customer 101 a.

In some embodiments, both parties to the transaction are anonymous toeach other such that the identity of customer 101 a is hidden fromcustomer 101 b and vice versa. Where the financial assistancetransaction is a loan, the operator of the provider computing system 140is an intermediary such that two digital contracts are formed as part ofthe financial assistance transaction. The first contract is between therecipient (customer 101 a) and the operator of the provider computingsystem 140. The second contract is between the sender of funds (customer101 b) and the operator of the provider computing system 140. In thisfashion, two-way anonymity is maintained.

In some arrangements, the user interface 400 b allows the customer 101 bto rank suppliers as described in reference to step 318 of FIG. 3. Forexample, an aggregated list of suppliers may be generated by the fundsAI circuit 246 and presented to customer 102 b through the userinterface 400 b. The aggregated list of suppliers may include the firstwebsite-based seller proposed by the customer 101 a (the party needingfunding), a second website-based seller proposed by the customer 101 b(a party providing funding), a third website-based seller proposed bythe customer 101 c (another party providing funding), a fourthwebsite-based seller identified by the bot of the funds AI circuit 246as described at step 320 of FIG. 3 and associated with a prospectivesponsor, or any combination thereof. Customer 101 b may use theinteractive controls of the user interface to rank the options on theaggregated list and/or to adjust the ranking proposed by the funds AIcircuit 246.

Advantageously, customer 101 b does not need to browse the internet (andthus click on multiple links, input the details of the proposedtransaction 272 into search boxes, browse different websites, etc.) tosearch for options because the provider computing system 140 may presentalready vetted options through the aggregated list, which is a limitedset of relevant options presented to customer 101 b through astreamlined interface, by automatically browsing the internet or apre-defined list of preferred vendors for the digital funding group 110.Thus, advantageously, the arrangement of the rank suppliers control 416saves customer 101 b time and effort. For example, the providercomputing system 140 may display only the options relevant to thecustomer by using geolocation information collected from the sender offunds, the recipient of funds, or both parties. Additionally, andadvantageously, by using a pre-defined list of preferred vendors for thedigital funding group 110, the organizer/owner of the digital fundinggroup 110 and its affiliates benefit from cross-selling opportunities bypresenting the relevant options to their customers. For example, theprovider computing system 140 and the digital funding group 110 may beowned and/or operated by a financial institution, such as a bank, whichmay benefit by collecting a fee from the customer 101 b foradministering the loan for the funding transaction 274. The bank'saffiliate, a website-based seller, such as a travel agency, may benefitby selling an airline ticket covered or partially covered by the fundingtransaction 274.

FIG. 5A-5B are interface display diagrams illustrating interactive userinterfaces for managing sponsorship opportunities according to somearrangements.

Referring to FIG. 5A, the user interface 500 a is configured to presenta new sponsorship opportunity notification to each or some of theplurality of potential sponsors of the digital funding group 110. Theset of potential sponsors may be identified as described in reference tosteps 318-320 of FIG. 3. In some arrangements, the sponsor receiving thenew sponsorship opportunity notification is the highest-ranked sponsordetermined using the input of the customer 101 b obtained as discussedwith reference to FIG. 4B. The interface 500 a comprises variouscontrols for providing information and receiving input from the sponsor.For example, a text field on the user interface 500 a may be configuredto render a notification of a sponsorship opportunity generated at318-320. In the example the notification may let a prospective sponsorknow that customer 101 a needs help funding airfare at the price quotedby the prospective sponsor (in the example shown, $550). The sponsor mayuse interactive controls 502 a and 502 b to accept or decline thenotification.

Referring to FIG. 5B, if the prospective sponsor accepts the opportunityusing the interactive control 502 a, then the prospective sponsor islinked by the provider computing system 140 to the digital funding group110 and thereby becomes a member of the digital funding group 110. Thesponsor is provided with a user interface 500 b, which is configured toallow the sponsor to customize funding details. The input text fields512 and 514 solicit information and amounts for the type of assistancethat the sponsor would like to render. In the example arrangement, theoptions are a discount (at 512) and a loan (514). For example, thesponsor may choose to fund all or some of the proposed transaction 272by giving the customer 101 a a discount, offering the customer 101 a aloan, or a combination thereof. In the event different types ofassistance are used, the digital funding circuit is configured to createa separate funding transaction 274 for each type of assistance.

FIG. 6A-6B are interface display diagrams illustrating interactive userinterfaces for managing funding approval according to some arrangements.

Referring to FIG. 6A, the user interface 600 a is configured to presenta new proposed funding notification to the customer 101 a of the digitalfunding group 110. In the example shown, customer 101 a is the partyreceiving assistance. The interface 600 a comprises various controls forproviding information and receiving input from the customer 101 a. Forexample, a text field on the user interface 600 a may be configured torender a funding notification as described, for example in reference tostep 314 of FIG. 3. In the example the notification may let customer 101a know that two parties have agreed to provide assistance and that theresidual responsibility of the customer 101 a is the difference betweenthe total amount of assistance provided and the amount of the proposedtransaction 272. In some arrangements, the proposed transaction 272 mayhave been modified as a result of finding an alternative supplier by acustomer 101 b and/or by the funds AI circuit 246 (as described, forexample, in reference to FIG. 4B). For example, the payee, amount, etc.of the proposed transaction 272 may be modified. The customer 101 a mayuse interactive controls 602 a and 602 b to accept or edit the terms ofthe notification.

Referring now to FIG. 6B, the customer 101 a is presented with a userinterface 600 b for accepting or editing the proposed fundingtransaction(s) 274. If the customer 101 a chooses to accept the terms ofthe proposed funding transaction(s) 274, the fields of the userinterface 600 b may be presented to the user as non-editable. If thecustomer 101 a chooses to review and/or change the terms of the proposedfunding transaction(s) 274, the fields of the user interface 600 b maybe presented to the user as editable. Advantageously, loan papers andtraditional GUIs for loan creations in the context of funding groups arevery difficult to navigate, with various types of information spread outsuch that a lot of scrolling back and forth is needed. An exampleinterface of the arrangement of FIG. 6B has all the relevant informationneeded by the customer to accept 620 a or seek additional funds 620 b.Thus everything is carefully planned and consolidated into a giveninterface, which further includes user interactive elements that allowthe user to accept the assistance.

In the example shown, customer 101 b has agreed to provide a loan in theamount of $200 (shown in the interactive control 612) with the termsincluding a repayment period of 12 months at 5% interest (shown in theinteractive control 614). The data shown in the interactive controls 612and 614 is populated by the notification circuit 242 by querying theproposed transaction vault 252 to obtain a first proposed transaction272 of the proposed transaction set 262. The customer 101 a may edit thevalues, at which point the notification circuit 242 may issue an updatedfunding notification to the sender of funds (here, customer 101 b or thesponsor) through the user device 102 b. The customer 101 b or thesponsor may accept, reject, or propose a counteroffer to the customer101 a, at which point the customer 101 a may be presented with arefreshed or updated proposed funding notification through the userinterface 600 a of FIG. 6A.

In the example shown, Sponsor A has agreed to provide a discount in theamount of $50 (shown in the interactive control 616) with a stipulationthat the airfare purchase is non-refundable (shown in the interactivecontrol 618). The data shown in the interactive controls 616 and 618 ispopulated by the notification circuit 242 by querying the proposedtransaction vault 252 to obtain a second proposed transaction 272 of theproposed transaction set 262. The customer 101 a may edit the values, atwhich point the notification circuit 242 may issue an updated fundingnotification to the sender of funds (here, sponsor 1) through the userdevice 102 c associated with sponsor 1. The Sponsor A may accept,reject, or propose a counteroffer to the customer 101 a, at which pointthe customer 101 a may be presented with a refreshed or updated proposedfunding notification through the user interface 600 a of FIG. 6A. Insome arrangements, the provider computing system 140 may storeparameters for non-negotiable terms and/or amounts associated withvarious sponsors such that customer 101 may only accept or reject thesecond proposed transaction 272 in its entirety. For example, theparameters may include non-negotiable amounts under a specified dollarthreshold or for a specific transaction description, transaction date,transaction amount, payee (here, sponsor), etc. In some arrangements,the specific transaction description is free text and the funds AIcircuit is configured to mine this information to determine if itmatches a pre-defined parameter for when the proposed transaction 272and/or funding transaction 274 is non-negotiable. For example, thepre-defined parameter may be a wildcard, such as “air*” and the funds AIcircuit may be configured to use machine learning algorithms to findtransaction descriptions that match this parameter for non-negotiability(such as “airfare”, “ticket”, etc.). One skilled in the art willappreciate that machine learning algorithms may be any algorithmssuitable for implementation to determine synonyms, such as discovery ofsynonyms using historical user data, lexical synonyms, natural languageprocessing algorithms, classification algorithms, etc.

The customer 101 a may accept the funding using the interactive control620 a. In some arrangements, the customer 101 a may seek more fundingusing the interactive control 620 b to cover any remaining amount notcovered by the obtained funding (in this case, $300). In this case, anew proposed funding transaction 272 may be generated and the processesdescribed at 304-316 of FIG. 3 repeated to broadcast the request to themembers of the digital funding group 302. In some arrangements, therequest for a new proposed funding transaction 272 is not broadcast tothe individuals and/or entities who already provided funding (such ascustomer 102 b and Sponsor A in the example above.)

The arrangements described herein have been described with reference todrawings. The drawings illustrate certain details of specificarrangements that implement the systems, methods and programs describedherein. However, describing the arrangements with drawings should not beconstrued as imposing on the disclosure any limitations that may bepresent in the drawings.

It should be understood that no claim element herein is to be construedunder the provisions of 35 U.S.C. § 112(f), unless the element isexpressly recited using the phrase “means for.”

As used herein, the term “circuit” may include hardware structured toexecute the functions described herein. In some arrangements, eachrespective “circuit” may include machine-readable media for configuringthe hardware to execute the functions described herein. The circuit maybe embodied as one or more circuitry components including, but notlimited to, processing circuitry, network interfaces, peripheraldevices, input devices, output devices, sensors, etc. In somearrangements, a circuit may take the form of one or more analogcircuits, electronic circuits (e.g., integrated circuits (IC), discretecircuits, system on a chip (SOCs) circuits, etc.), telecommunicationcircuits, hybrid circuits, and any other type of “circuit.” In thisregard, the “circuit” may include any type of component foraccomplishing or facilitating achievement of the operations describedherein. For example, a circuit as described herein may include one ormore transistors, logic gates (e.g., NAND, AND, NOR, OR, XOR, NOT, XNOR,etc.), resistors, multiplexers, registers, capacitors, inductors,diodes, wiring, and so on).

The “circuit” may also include one or more processors communicativelycoupled to one or more memory or memory devices. In this regard, the oneor more processors may execute instructions stored in the memory or mayexecute instructions otherwise accessible to the one or more processors.In some arrangements, the one or more processors may be embodied invarious ways. The one or more processors may be constructed in a mannersufficient to perform at least the operations described herein. In somearrangements, the one or more processors may be shared by multiplecircuits (e.g., circuit A and circuit B may comprise or otherwise sharethe same processor which, in some example arrangements, may executeinstructions stored, or otherwise accessed, via different areas ofmemory). Alternatively or additionally, the one or more processors maybe structured to perform or otherwise execute certain operationsindependent of one or more co-processors. In other example arrangements,two or more processors may be coupled via a bus to enable independent,parallel, pipelined, or multi-threaded instruction execution. Eachprocessor may be implemented as one or more general-purpose processors,application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field programmablegate arrays (FPGAs), digital signal processors (DSPs), or other suitableelectronic data processing components structured to execute instructionsprovided by memory. The one or more processors may take the form of asingle core processor, multi-core processor (e.g., a dual coreprocessor, triple core processor, quad core processor, etc.),microprocessor, etc. In some arrangements, the one or more processorsmay be external to the apparatus, for example the one or more processorsmay be a remote processor (e.g., a cloud based processor). Alternativelyor additionally, the one or more processors may be internal and/or localto the apparatus. In this regard, a given circuit or components thereofmay be disposed locally (e.g., as part of a local server, a localcomputing system, etc.) or remotely (e.g., as part of a remote serversuch as a cloud based server). To that end, a “circuit” as describedherein may include components that are distributed across one or morelocations.

An exemplary system for implementing the overall system or portions ofthe arrangements might include computers, including a processing unit, asystem memory, and a system bus that couples various system componentsincluding the system memory to the processing unit. Each memory devicemay include non-transient volatile storage media, non-volatile storagemedia, non-transitory storage media (e.g., one or more volatile and/ornon-volatile memories), etc. In some arrangements, the non-volatilemedia may take the form of ROM, flash memory (e.g., flash memory such asNAND, 3D NAND, NOR, 3D NOR, etc.), EEPROM, MRAM, magnetic storage, harddiscs, optical discs, etc. In other arrangements, the volatile storagemedia may take the form of RAM, TRAM, ZRAM, etc. Combinations of theabove are also included within the scope of machine-readable media. Inthis regard, machine-executable instructions comprise, for example,instructions and data which cause a general purpose computer, specialpurpose computer, or special purpose processing machines to perform acertain function or group of functions. Each respective memory devicemay be operable to maintain or otherwise store information relating tothe operations performed by one or more associated circuits, includingprocessor instructions and related data (e.g., database components,object code components, script components, etc.), in accordance with theexample arrangements described herein.

It should also be noted that the term “input devices,” as describedherein, may include any type of input device including, but not limitedto, a keyboard, a keypad, a mouse, joystick or other input devicesperforming a similar function. Comparatively, the term “output device,”as described herein, may include any type of output device including,but not limited to, a computer monitor, printer, facsimile machine, orother output devices performing a similar function.

Any foregoing references to currency or funds are intended to includefiat currencies, non-fiat currencies (e.g., precious metals), andmath-based currencies (often referred to as cryptocurrencies). Examplesof math-based currencies include Bitcoin, Litecoin, Dogecoin, and thelike.

It should be noted that although the diagrams herein may show a specificorder and composition of method steps, it is understood that the orderof these steps may differ from what is depicted. For example, two ormore steps may be performed concurrently or with partial concurrence.Also, some method steps that are performed as discrete steps may becombined, steps being performed as a combined step may be separated intodiscrete steps, the sequence of certain processes may be reversed orotherwise varied, and the nature or number of discrete processes may bealtered or varied. The order or sequence of any element or apparatus maybe varied or substituted according to alternative arrangements.Accordingly, all such modifications are intended to be included withinthe scope of the present disclosure as defined in the appended claims.Such variations will depend on the machine-readable media and hardwaresystems chosen and on designer choice. It is understood that all suchvariations are within the scope of the disclosure. Likewise, softwareand web implementations of the present disclosure could be accomplishedwith standard programming techniques with rule based logic and otherlogic to accomplish the various database searching steps, correlationsteps, comparison steps and decision steps.

The foregoing description of arrangements has been presented forpurposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to beexhaustive or to limit the disclosure to the precise form disclosed, andmodifications and variations are possible in light of the aboveteachings or may be acquired from this disclosure. The arrangements werechosen and described in order to explain the principals of thedisclosure and its practical application to enable one skilled in theart to utilize the various arrangements and with various modificationsas are suited to the particular use contemplated. Other substitutions,modifications, changes and omissions may be made in the design,operating conditions and arrangement of the arrangements withoutdeparting from the scope of the present disclosure as expressed in theappended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for facilitating automatic anonymousgroup funding, the method comprising: establishing, by a providercomputing system, a digital funding group, the digital funding groupcomprising a plurality of user devices, wherein each user device isoperated by a customer from a plurality of customers of a providerinstitution; receiving, via a client application associated with a firstuser device from the plurality of user devices, a set of proposedtransactions, the set of proposed transactions comprising at least oneproposed transaction for the digital funding group; determining, by theprovider computing system, that the first user device is associated witha first customer unable to afford the at least one proposed transaction;monitoring, by the client application associated with the first userdevice, a system idle timer of the first user device and reset thesystem idle timer at predetermined time intervals, thereby maintainingthe first user device in active mode; while maintaining the first userdevice in active mode, performing, by the client application, anelectronic search for a sponsorship opportunity related to the at leastone proposed transaction; and generating, by the client application, adisplayable result set comprising at least one prospective sponsor, andtransmitting the displayable result set to the first user device;generating, by the provider computing system, an alias for the firstcustomer; generating, by the provider computing system, an alias mapstructured to store the alias relationally to identifying information ofthe first customer and to risk assessment information for the firstcustomer, the risk assessment information generated by an artificialintelligence (AI) circuit and comprising at least one of an accountbalance and a credit score of the first customer; generating, by theprovider computing system, a notification about the first customer'sinability to afford the at least one proposed transaction, thenotification comprising the alias and the risk assessment information;transmitting the notification, by the provider computing system, to asecond user device associated with the at least one prospective sponsor;receiving, by the provider computing system, from the second user devicean indication of agreement to provide assistance to the first customeridentified by the alias; transmitting, by the provider computing system,information comprising an assistance transaction to the first userdevice, the assistance transaction comprising transaction terms and atransaction amount; and authorizing, by the provider computing system,the assistance transaction based at least on an indication of acceptancereceived from the first user device.
 2. The method of claim 1, whereinthe assistance transaction is a first assistance transaction, thetransaction terms are first transaction terms, the transaction amount isa first transaction amount, and an indication of acceptance is a firstindication of acceptance, the method further comprising: receiving, bythe provider computing system, an indication from a third user deviceassociated with a second customer from the plurality of customers, thesecond customer being different from the first customer and the at leastone prospective sponsor, an indication of agreement to provideassistance to the first customer; generating, by the provider computingsystem, a second assistance transaction, the second assistancetransaction comprising second transaction terms and a second transactionamount; receiving, by the provider computing system, a second indicationof acceptance of the second transaction terms from the first user deviceassociated with the first customer; and authorizing, by the providercomputing system, the second assistance transaction based at least onthe second indication of acceptance.
 3. The method of claim 2, themethod further comprising: evaluating, by the provider computing system,a financial position of the first customer; and based at least on theevaluation, calculating, by the provider computing system, a shortfallamount for the at least one proposed transaction for the digital fundinggroup.
 4. The method of claim 3, further comprising using, by theprovider computing system, the shortfall amount to determine the firsttransaction amount for the first assistance transaction and the secondtransaction amount for the second assistance transaction.
 5. The methodof claim 3, wherein the at least one of the account balance and thecredit score determined based on an evaluation of the financial positionof the first customer.
 6. The method of claim 2, wherein authorizing theassistance transaction comprises initiating a funds transfer from afunds account associated with the second customer to a funds accountassociated with a first customer.
 7. The method of claim 2, wherein thesecond transaction terms comprise repayment data calculated, by theprovider computing system, based at least on financial information ofthe first customer.
 8. The method of claim 7, the method furthercomprising initiating, by the provider computing system based at leaston the repayment data, a repayment funds transfer from an accountassociated with the first customer to an account associated with thesecond customer.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of theplurality of user devices is further anonymized, by the providercomputing system, to each of the plurality of customers such thataddress of the user device is obscured.
 10. The method of claim 1,wherein the at least one proposed transaction comprises a proposedtransaction amount; and wherein the transaction amount for theassistance transaction is a percentage of the proposed transactionamount, the percentage being determined by the provider computingsystem.
 11. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining, by the providercomputing system, the set of proposed transactions comprises evaluatingeach of a plurality of planned expenses determined for at least twocustomers in the plurality of customers based on an indication of ajoint expense for each of the at least two customers in the plurality ofcustomers.
 12. The method of claim 11, wherein the joint expense isidentified by the AI circuit of the provider computing system.
 13. Themethod of claim 1, the method further comprising: identifying, by the AIcircuit of the provider computing system, a sponsorship opportunity forthe first customer, the sponsorship opportunity based at least on anevaluation of the at least one proposed transaction; and linking, by theprovider computing system, a party associated with the sponsorshipopportunity to the digital funding group.
 14. The method of claim 13,wherein the sponsorship opportunity is identified by a bot structured toidentify discounted resources related to the at least one proposedtransaction.
 15. The method of claim 1, the method further comprisingproviding, by the provider computing system, a reward to at least oneparty to the assistance transaction.
 16. The method of claim 1, whereinthe at least one proposed transaction is created based on adetermination that a projected expense exceeds a pre-defined budget. 17.The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one proposed transaction isassociated with a plurality of purchase options; and wherein each of theplurality of purchase options is ranked by at least one customer in theplurality of customers, through at least one user device associated withthe at least one customer, such that a ranking determines thetransaction amount of the assistance transaction.
 18. The method ofclaim 1, further comprising maintaining, first user device in activemode while performing computer-executed operations structured to rankpurchase options for the at least one proposed transaction.
 19. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising allowing, by the clientapplication, real-time user interaction the first user device whilemaintaining the first user device in active mode.
 20. A providercomputing system for facilitating automatic anonymous group funding, theprovider computing system comprising: a processing circuit having aprocessor and a memory, wherein the processing circuit comprises anArtificial Intelligence (AI) circuit configured to: establish a digitalfunding group comprising a plurality of user devices, wherein each userdevice is operated by a customer from a plurality of customers of aprovider institution; receive, via a client application associated witha first user device from the plurality of user devices, a set ofproposed transactions, the set of proposed transactions comprising atleast one proposed transaction for the digital funding group; determinethat the first user device is associated with a first customer unable toafford the at least one proposed transaction; monitor, by the clientapplication associated with the first user device, a system idle timerof the first user device and reset the system idle timer atpredetermined time intervals, thereby maintaining the first user devicein active mode; while maintaining the first user device in active mode,perform, by the client application, an electronic search for asponsorship opportunity related to the at least one proposedtransaction; and generate, by the client application, a displayableresult set comprising at least one prospective sponsor, and transmit thedisplayable result set to the first user device; generate an alias forthe first customer; generate an alias map structured to store the aliasrelationally to identifying information of the first customer and torisk assessment information for the first customer, the risk assessmentinformation generated by an artificial intelligence (AI) circuit andcomprising at least one of an account balance and a credit score of thefirst customer; generate a notification about the first customer'sinability to afford the at least one proposed transaction, thenotification comprising the alias and the risk assessment information;transmit the notification to a second user device associated with the atleast one prospective sponsor; receive from the second user device anindication of agreement to provide assistance to the first customeridentified by the alias; transmit information comprising an assistancetransaction to the first user device, the assistance transactioncomprising transaction terms and a transaction amount; and authorize theassistance transaction based at least on the indication of acceptancereceived from the first user device.
 21. A non-transitorycomputer-readable medium having processor-readable instructions storedthereon that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor toprovide anonymous loan creation services for a customer of a providerby: establishing a digital funding group, the digital funding groupcomprising a plurality of user devices, wherein each user device isoperated by a customer from a plurality of customers of a providerinstitution; receiving, via a client application associated with a firstuser device from the plurality of user devices, a set of proposedtransactions, the set of proposed transactions comprising at least oneproposed transaction for the digital funding group; determining that thefirst user device is associated with a first customer unable to affordthe at least one proposed transaction; monitoring, by the clientapplication associated with the first user device, a system idle timerof the first user device and reset the system idle timer atpredetermined time intervals, thereby maintaining the first user devicein active mode; while maintaining the first user device in active mode,performing, by the client application, an electronic search for asponsorship opportunity related to the at least one proposedtransaction; and generating, by the client application, a displayableresult set comprising at least one prospective sponsor, and transmit thedisplayable result set to the first user device; generating an alias forthe first customer; generating an alias map structured to store thealias relationally to identifying information of the first customer andto risk assessment information for the first customer, the riskassessment information generated by an artificial intelligence (AI)circuit, embodied in the computer-readable instructions, and comprisingat least one of an account balance and a credit score of the firstcustomer; generating a notification about the first customer's inabilityto afford the at least one proposed transaction, the notificationcomprising the alias and the risk assessment information; transmittingthe notification to a second user device associated with the at leastone prospective sponsor; receiving from the second user device anindication of agreement to provide assistance to the first customeridentified by the alias; transmitting information comprising anassistance transaction to the first user device, the assistancetransaction comprising transaction terms and a transaction amount; andauthorizing the assistance transaction based at least on an indicationof acceptance received from the first user device.